“Slide to the left! Slide to the right! Freeze! Now everybody clap your hands!”
You may think you’re on the dance floor shuffling to the Cha Cha Slide, but instead, you’re out on a gorgeous hillside in the sunshine watching and listening to Border Collies take instructions from their handlers. You’re so glad you came to a sheepherding trial to watch Border Collies in their element!
Border Collies are talented, friendly hard-working dogs that are considered the smartest dog breed in the world. Their unparalleled work ethic combined with their intelligence and athleticism creates a dependable, perfect herding dog.
Border Collie puppies for sale are not just working dogs; when off-duty, they are docile, friendly, and perfect for living with an adventurous, active family. They’re not suitable for apartment living, as they might bounce around like a ping pong in enclosed spaces. Border Collies get along well with children and other dogs, but small animals will cause their prey drive to kick in. Overall, Border Collie puppy owners can expect an energetic, tireless puppy that is agile, affectionate, and athletic.
The whole family has to understand the personality and care needs of a Border Collie puppy for sale and be willing to commit to raising a happy, healthy canine companion. Find out what it’s like to be a Border Collie owner in our guide to raising Border Collie puppies for sale.
Old Hemp
Where are Border Collie Puppies For Sale From?
Ancient Roman soldiers kept herding dogs to tend to their livestock. When the Roman empire fell, these herding dogs were spread out among Britain. Encounters with other invaders like the Vikings created a crossbreed of old Roman dogs and Spitz, creating various Collies that watched over sheep.
The Border Collie breed became perfected in the 1700s lowland and border counties between England and Scotland. They are thought to be a mix of the Scotch and Bearded Collies bred with Spaniels. These Border Collies were agile, compact dogs that were light on their feet and able to traverse the rocky highlands of Wales, England, and Scotland, and they thrived in this environment.
English gentry became enamored with Border Collies in the 19th century. In 1893, an extraordinary Border Collie named Old Hemp is credited with being the ‘foundation sire’ of the breed, as he sired over 200 puppies, setting the stage for a long lineage of healthy Border Collies.
These exceptional Border Collies were brought to countries with rich sheep ranching opportunities to watch over herds and assist farmers and ranch owners. These countries included Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Argentina, and the United States of America. Ranches could now operate with one skilled cowboy and a Border Collie by his side managing 1,000 sheep together.
Border Collies continued to be useful additions to agricultural spaces, and they thrived despite not having official AKC recognition. The move to start establishing a standard came in 1963 with a Border Collie named Winston Cap who set the standards for the breed as designated by the ISDS. The breed was accepted into the AKC in 1995.
Today, Border Collies can be found playing fetch down a hallway or herding hundreds of sheep, as they are versatile, hard-working dogs. Border Collies are #30 on the AKC’s list of Most Popular Dog Breeds of 2022 right below Cocker Spaniels.
The Athleticism of Border Collie Puppies For Sale
If you’re looking for a chill dog that would love to nap in the sun all day and only needs less than an hour of exercise daily, the Border Collie is not for you!
The Border Collie is a herding dog, which means it will always be on the move thinking one step ahead. They have a difficult time turning off their herding instinct to relax, and some people may view this as being hyper. However, if you know how to recognize normal Border Collie behavior, you can learn what makes your puppy happy.
It’s crucial that Border Collie owners provide a plethora of different opportunities to keep their puppy engaged and occupied to meet their high activity level requirements.
Physical activity needs
Border Collie puppies for sale need at least 90 minutes of vigorous exercise a day. A walk will not tire out your Border Collie, as they must have plenty of opportunities to burn off energy. Border Collies are one of the best hiking dog breeds for outdoor adventures because they’re naturally suited to navigate tricky terrain and will listen to their owner’s commands (as long as they aren’t distracted by a small animal darting across the path).
After you’re done hitting the trails or greenway, your Border Collie would love to play chase and fetch at the local dog park. If there is an agility course there, teach your Border Collie a few obstacles and start your own agility trial.
Mental stimulation
Once at home, your work is not done. You should provide lots of mentally stimulating opportunities for dogs so they do not become bored, which leads to destructive behavior. Chew toys, snuff mats, stuffed Kongs, and puzzle games that keep them curious and occupied are great for your Border Collie puppy. If you do not provide anything, they will create their own fun to stave off boredom. You might not like the “games” they come up with, like Pillow Fight or Trash Can Bowling!
Border Collies are among the top winners of dog sport competitions which is a testament to their incredible work drive and athleticism. They also hold some incredible jobs for dogs where they use their intelligence and obedience to perform tasks. Border Collies excel in several active areas where they can channel that boundless energy – some of which might surprise you – including:
- Herding
- Flyball
- Frisbee
- Agility
- Obedience
- Dock Diving
- Rally
- Tracking
- Airport Runway Clearance
- Golf Course Management
- Police & Military
- Drugs & Bomb detectors
- Search and Rescue
- Guide & Therapy Dogs
- Emotional Support Dogs
Sheep Herding With Border Collie Puppies For Sale
Border Collie puppies for sale are perfectly suited to controlling livestock (mostly sheep) with careful body movements. They are trained to bring sheep to the handler by listening to a series of whistles and commands to move sheep around the landscape (or obstacle course) as a team.
Rural landowners have utilized herding dogs for centuries, and the Border Collie proved to be invaluable to daily operations. Farm and ranch owners continue to appreciate their boundless energy and quick-footed and quick-witted way of herding livestock.
Border Collies are trained so quickly that it doesn’t take them more than 5-6 repetitions to learn a new command. While Border Collie puppies for sale do have an innate drive to herd, they have to be trained to channel that knowledge and intelligence into a sight to behold.
Their training begins around 10 weeks old with basic puppy commands, working up to a foundation where training for herding begins at 10 months old. The Border Collie’s handler will blow the whistle in different ways, each meaning a command like fast, slow, stop, left, or right.
Usually, the dog begins in a Down position and waits for the handler’s commands. From there, you’ll see explosive movements with running, crouching, crawling, creeping, and directing a herd with subtle body movements and intense focus. Rather than run right toward the herd, Border Collies will make sweeping movements from the back of the herd corralling them to the designated end spot.
A deep bond will form between the Border Collie and the handler, creating an unstoppable team. Border Collies are trained to weave seamlessly in and out of stampeding sheep moving in the wrong direction firmly but gently. They are so well-trained that you can see how gentle they are while herding ducklings to a muddy pond.
Sheepherding competitions give Border Collies and handlers a chance to put their skills to the test. Border Collies win the most field trials out of all stock dogs through competitions put on by the International Sheep Dog Society (ISDS), the AKC Herding Program, and the U.S. Border Collie Handlers Association (USBCHA) just to name a few. Herding trials are held all over the country, so potential Border Collie puppy owners should check them out to get to know the breed in its element.
What Do Border Collie Puppies For Sale Look Like?
Border Collie puppies for sale are medium-sized dogs weighing 30-55 pounds and standing 18-22 inches tall. They have stocky, muscular bodies that are longer than are tall, thin, nimble legs, almond-shaped eyes with an intense gaze, and ears that stand up but tip over sometimes, giving them an endearing look.
These beautiful dogs come in a variety of colors and markings. Most people think of black and white coat colors, but Border Collies come in 20 colors and combinations, including all black, a combination of white plus a variety of colors like red, sable, blue, red merle, blue merle, and unusual colors like gold, seal, and lilac. In addition to their many colors and combinations, Border Collie puppies for sale can also have points and markings that are tan, brindle, ticked, and white and merle markings.
Border Collie puppies for sale have a double coat that sheds moderately and protects them from rough weather conditions out in the field. Their coats come in rough and smooth varieties. Rough coat hair is 3 inches long with a lush mane and tail, and a smooth coat has a sleek texture with fur about 1 inch long.
How Smart Are Border Collie Puppies For Sale?
We all like to think of our dogs affectionately as the smartest dog in the world, but most of us don’t actually believe they’d win the World’s Smartest Dog trophy. However, Border Collies are considered the smartest dog breed in the world, and it’s easy to see why when you hear about an incredible dog like Chaser.
Not until recently did people take learning about dogs’ brains seriously because they were considered livestock. Even the military considered dogs to be surplus equipment until the turn of this century. Plenty of researchers have studied primates, but there was not a solid foundation for researching dogs’ intellectual capabilities. John Pilley sought to change the way people view dogs with his incredible, unprecedented research on the inner workings of dogs’ brains.
Chaser, the smartest Border Collie in the world
John Pilley, a retired Professor Emeritus of Psychology at Wofford College, was best known for his unwavering efforts to explore the mind of dogs via his beloved Border Collie named Chaser. In the study “Border Collie comprehends object names as verbal referents,” Pilley and his research team trained Chaser to recognize words and simple sentences up to 5 hours a day, 5 days a week, for 9 years starting around 4-5 months old.
What Pilley and his research team found was astounding. Chaser had learned to recognize 1,022 toys, identifying them correctly 95% of the time. Chaser also learned simple sentences and that nouns and verbs have different meanings.
Brian Hare, a Professor of Evolutionary Anthropology, and Psychology and Neuroscience at Duke University, thinks Chaser could be the most important dog in the history of modern scientific research. Hare notes a typical 2-year-old knows 300 words, but Chaser knew over three times as many words. Chaser is learning thousands of new things by using the same abilities children use when they learn, proving that dogs are just as capable, if not more, of developing an extensive vocabulary as a human child.
What’s It Like to Train Border Collie Puppies For Sale?
Training Border Collies puppies for sale can be extremely rewarding because they are so incredibly intelligent. It’s your job to put their intelligence to good use and redirect their energy into focused attention.
Your Border Collie puppy’s training should begin the day you bring her home, starting with learning her name and where to potty. While you don’t have to dedicate as much time as Professor Pilley did to teaching Chaser, you should introduce basic obedience commands and move above those once mastered.
Because they are protective of their people, Border Collie puppies for sale will grow to be excellent watchdogs, but their herding instincts can lead to nipping at people’s heels as they do with livestock. It’s important to control herding behavior from an early age.
Border Collie puppies can learn commands at remarkable speed while also being independent and strong-minded, so you have to be firm, consistent, and patient when you train them. Your training sessions can be easy sometimes because they’re in tune with humans and take their cues easily. Whether your Border Collie puppy gets it on the first try or decides to be naughty during the lesson, make sure to lavish plenty of rewards and praise for a completed desired action.
Caring For Your Border Collie Puppy
Border Collie puppies for sale do not have extensive grooming requirements, but you’ll still need to put in some effort to keep them looking dapper. Brush them once a week with a pin brush and more frequently during the heavier shedding season. While you’re brushing, do a skin check for lumps, cuts, or ticks, and treat anything you see right away.
Your Border Collie puppy for sale will only need a bath if you detect a doggy odor or if the coat is exceptionally dirty. Choose a mild, pet-safe shampoo and conditioner for a glossy, healthy coat. A trip to the groomer may help tidy up wayward fur, but Border Collie puppies for sale will not need regular haircuts. Trim their nails and spend some time on dog paw care to detect cracked or cut pads.
Speaking of brushing, you’ll want to try and brush your Border Collie puppy’s teeth once a day. Train them from an early age to get them used to you providing proper dental care for puppies.
As a responsible dog owner, take your Border Collie puppy to the vet regularly for scheduled check-ups. Here, you can discuss any concerns you have or ask questions about the puppy vaccination schedule, behavioral issues, diet concerns, or whatever requires guidance from a professional. Using flea, tick, and heartworm preventatives means you’re giving your Border Collie puppy the best start to a healthy life.
While Border Collies are a healthy breed in general, they can suffer from some health issues. Hip and elbow dysplasia are common, where joints loosen and cause pain. Border Collies can suffer from epilepsy and experience seizures. Collie eye anomaly is a condition where a genetic mutation causes multiple defects in the eye’s layers. Feeding a well-balanced diet with high-quality food and providing plenty of physical and mental exercise will maintain a healthy chance to live 12-15 years.
Where Can I Find Border Collie Puppies For Sale Near Me?
We know you’ve fallen in love already with the Einsteins of canines, so you are ready to start looking for Border Collie puppies for sale.
But where to start?
Many might turn to marketplaces on social media. The prices may seem too good to be true – and you should always follow your gut when something doesn’t feel right. When searching for Border Collie puppies for sale, look for:
- A secure payment system. Stay away from apps like Zelle, cash, gift cards, or MoneyGrams.
- The puppy is at least 8 weeks old.
- A health guarantee and relevant paperwork.
- Health records of the parents and the puppy.
- You can read reviews from trusted sites.
We’ve developed a secure, scam-free dog adoption service that gives you peace of mind knowing we walk you through every step of the process. Our network of carefully hand-selected reputable Border Collie breeders that we accept into our program keeps the best interest and health of their Border Collies above anything else. Each Border Collie puppy for sale comes with 30 days of MetLife Insurance and a 3-year health guarantee that protects you and the breeder while keeping a puppy-first approach.
Ready to browse our Border Collie puppies for sale? We think it would be a very smart idea!
